ALBANY – Former Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green, who has served as head of the state Division of Criminal Justice Services since 2012, will not be part of the new Hochul administration for much longer.
Green has been asked to leave by Gov. Kathy Hochul as she brings on her own staff after succeeding Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in scandal in August, according a source with direct knowledge of the situation.
There was no immediate comment from the agency about Green’s looming departure. The Times Union of Albany first reported Green will be out after his nearly 10-year tenure in state government.
His time at the helm of the agency, where he was paid $176,000 a year, was rocky.
Green was accused in lawsuits of retaliation and discrimination in two cases where female employees said they were sexually harassed by a supervisor. The agency has disputed the claims.
Green, 60, was appointed executive deputy commissioner of the agency that oversees criminal justice policy and data in March 2012 by Cuomo after serving 25 years in the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.
He served two terms as district attorney, first winning election in 2003 to succeed his mentor and longtime District Attorney Howard Relin.
Green was up for a federal judgeship at the end of his time at district attorney, but his nomination was scuttled in Congress and then he shifted to his role in Albany.
Hochul was alongside Green just a few days ago.
He headed the ceremony where 101 officers’ names were added to the Police Officers Memorial in Albany, and top elected officials were there, including the new governor.
Green is the latest commissioner to be ousted by Hochul.
Howard Zucker, the embattled state health commissioner, is set to resign, and she has cleared out a number of other appointments.
The New York Post reported that several other commissioners have been told to resign.
That included Michael Hein, the former Ulster County executive who was appointed in 2019 to head the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance — which in recent months struggled to get out rent assistance to those hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.
More:Michael Green, other NY officials accused of retaliation for harassment claims
More:Sexual harassment complaints brought against New York state agencies
Joseph Spector is the Government and Politics Editor for the USA TODAY Network’s Atlantic Group, overseeing coverage in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. He can be reached at JSPECTOR@Gannett.com or followed on Twitter: @GannettAlbany
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